Ragu alla Bolognese Recipe
By
Aida Mollenkamp
Difficulty: Easy |
Total Time:
1 hr 30 mins
|
Active Time:
|
Makes:
10 cups
There are many versions of Bolognese sauce. Some cooks swear by adding pancetta, others claim there should be no tomatoes, and Chef Heston Blumenthal even adds star anise for depth. Our version uses veal (though you could easily substitute pork), tomatoes, and some milk to give the sauce a rich, rounded note. Bolognese is often an all-day project, as some recipes call for it to cook 6 or 12 hours, but ours can be made in 90 minutes. Try using it in our Lasagne alla Bolognese.
Game plan: If you have a food processor, this is the time to pull it out. Pulse the onion, carrots, and celery together until they are all minced and uniform in size.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds ground veal (or ground pork)
- 2 (28-ounce) cans chopped tomatoes
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 cup whole milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a tightfitting lid over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add onion and garlic, and cook until vegetables are translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add carrots, celery, and parsley, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add ground veal and stir to break up meat. Once meat starts to color, about 8 to 10 minutes, add tomatoes and stir until well mixed and tomatoes start to simmer, about 5 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and butter, and stir until evenly mixed and butter is melted. Add salt, and season well with freshly ground black pepper.
- Add milk and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Reduce heat to low and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered until sauce is thick and reduced by a quarter, about 60 minutes.
Every year I grow in my vegetable-herb garden Egg Plant,Onions, garlic, tomatoes, green peppers and jalapenos., and all the italian herbs. I won't use veal as I was raised on a farm,where young cows were so innocent and beautiful to look at. I you ever look in a cows eyes, and are a sensitive phychic person, you will never ever kill another animal for food, or any other reason. that's just me.
No repercussions at all to use less olive oil- probably better tasting and less oil pools! I always use as little as needed to sweat my veggies since you'll have plenty of oil/fat from the meat and cheese within the lasagna so why add more?! I too always use red wine in my sauces and find it gives a really nice roundness to the sauce. Buon apettito!
I think it's reasonable to ask for a veggie version of a 'ragu' sauce....for obvious reasons. The name of the dish doesn't dictate constraints on how it can be adapted to one's lifestyle. That being said, the mushroom substitution would really alter the flavour...in a good way if you don't like meat. With most vegetarians the idea is not to try to duplicate 'meat' taste anyway. I have quite a few...+READ
I think it's reasonable to ask for a veggie version of a 'ragu' sauce....for obvious reasons. The name of the dish doesn't dictate constraints on how it can be adapted to one's lifestyle. That being said, the mushroom substitution would really alter the flavour...in a good way if you don't like meat. With most vegetarians the idea is not to try to duplicate 'meat' taste anyway. I have quite a few vegan/vegetarian friends, and King's Cafe has some good texture substitutes for ground meat - or ..just leave it out! :) Miripoix and tomatoe is also yummy!-COLLAPSE
I just made some today. I think you can brown any meat (hamburger, sausage, venison, etc). I used sausage. And I added 2/3 cup white white, and every 1/2 hr, added an add'l splash of wine, a T of tomato paste and 2 Ts of whole milk. Sweet baby Jesus is that good!
Would there be big repercussions in taste using less olive oil? I have never used that much and I should have looked for this before I stuffed my face. I just went on the fly and used enough(few tablespoons) to sautee the onions and garlic...at 3AM. ;]
does this freeze well?
A vegetarian ragu? Why
Ragu explicitely means meat.
It's like asking for a meaty alternative to fruit salad.
the stinkier the better! long live morbier!! and all that stink to high heaven!
Adirao - To make this vegetarian, you should be fine just omitting the meat component. If you find it lacks flavor, you could try adding ina a little mushroom broth or reconstituted dried mushrooms, but it would be a big departure from the concept of Bolognese sauce. Also, you should cook the sauce for less time - about 30 to 40 minutes should do - seeing as you don't have the meat in there. And,...+READ
Adirao - To make this vegetarian, you should be fine just omitting the meat component. If you find it lacks flavor, you could try adding ina a little mushroom broth or reconstituted dried mushrooms, but it would be a big departure from the concept of Bolognese sauce. Also, you should cook the sauce for less time - about 30 to 40 minutes should do - seeing as you don't have the meat in there. And, these changes will yield less sauce, but I'm sure you were aware of that!-COLLAPSE
If I want to make this vegetarian, do I need to substitute anything for the veal/pork (for the flavour), or is plain omission ok?